Wray and Nephew and the Jamaica Boxing Association (JBA) have joined forces again to stage the very popular Wray and Nephew Fight Night Series. It was launched on Tuesday at Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records Restaurant and sports bar in Kingston.

The event makes a mega return on June 28 at Ferdie Neita Park in Portmore, St. Catherine, with two blockbuster professional bouts, which will be preceded by eight amateur fights, with the Jamaican pugilists facing off in the welterweight, light-welterweight, middleweight, light-heavyweight and cruiserweight classes. The card features one female bout with a boxer from the Cayman Islands.

Absent since 2023, when there were four events in the year, the series is the continuation of a three-year partnership between Wray and Nephew and the Jamaica Boxing Association.

Brand Manager at Wray and Nephew Kerry Ann Bryan was thrilled and excited at the return of the series. “We are just excited to be part of yet another special season of Wray and Nephew Fight Nights. We are also just excited to be a part of the greatness and just to see the development of the boxers, to see them come out and fight. In addition, we are inviting fans to come out and enjoy some Wray and Nephew specials, bring friends and colleagues, and just come out and have a great time.”

She added: “At Wray and Nephew, we believe in community involvement and development of players. We sponsor football, and boxing is also another sport that we see doing really well in Jamaica, and the goal of wanting to be a part of the 2028 Olympics, we are on that train with the Jamaica Boxing Board.”

“We just want to help in whichever way we can, whether training or development of the gyms of the boxers, and that’s really important to us here at Wray and Nephew, that was what made us come back on board” said Bryan.

Meanwhile, the president of the JBA, Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones, shared the same sentiment. “Fight Night is back, and we are excited because what it represents is the culmination of the monthly shows that we have been having, where we will be separating the boxers, the cream of the crop. The better boxers now will get to showcase against each other on the flagship programme, which is the Fight Night, but it doesn’t take away from the futures programme that we have but what we want to do is bring the best of each category to the public and the communities that we go into.”

The man responsible for putting the fight card together is national coach Felipe Sanchez, who says the fight card will deliver some exciting bouts. “As usual, you can expect an action-packed flight card, which is really an accumulation of all the fights that the Jamaica Boxing Board has been putting on, so right now we have pitted the best of the best from across the island and they will clash each other.”

He added, “Having Wray and Nephew on board, they are literally the spirit of the sport, and anything they are involved in has a lot of vibes and boxing in Jamaica remains unique with the dancing girls in between rounds and the DJs all add a unique flavour to the event.” 

Professional boxer Juzier ‘Iron Man’ Heron, who will face Dwayne Lawrence from Sanchez Promotion Gym, in one of two pro bouts on the card, was in a no-nonsense mood. “Honestly, I am just going to be taking the fight as it comes, so it all depends on how he approaches it. If I realise he is a southpaw, I will fight him accordingly. If it’s a guy I realise who gas out quickly, then I will finish him quickly, it’s not anything complicated. Also, in terms of technicality, my opponent is not someone I can underestimate,” Heron said.

Lawrence, on the other hand, said: “I come out with a game plan to outbox Juzier. I just wanna box him on the outside, still keep him at a distance, when I reach him, I do the body work and come back out and regroup. I don’t wanna take it too quickly. I wanna take my time, outbox him, score my points, and if a knock out comes, I’ll take it.”